You guys are all over it. The big one on my list was the bag covering the tail light. Next on my list was, at least from the camera angle, he was centered in the lane so you can't see his mate on the other bike. Maybe the driver could see things the camera couldn't, but I think it would have helped to have both bikes visible from the rear, and thus, both brake lights.

Yes, the oncoming traffic was a distraction, and probably contributed.

I have a Kisan flashing brake light. I think this situation is exactly what the flashing brake light is supposed to do. Attract the driver's attention back to you, and your brake light. Swerving in the lane as you're braking (as suggested above) might have the same effect. Similarly, if faced with a panic stop, I usually veer off to the shoulder while braking, partially so I do not hit the guy ahead of me, and partially so I don't end up in the middle of a sandwich. I dunno, maybe I'm not doing something right when I do that, but it seems obvious to me for collision avoidance.

Another thing unrelated to this video, is that nearly every time I've crashed (car only), or had some kind of near miss, I've thought to myself "None of this would have happened if I had simply not been travelling so fast."

Along with that, increasing your following distance (in this particular situation) also gives the driver behind you more time to react or recover from some distraction.

Glad to see a lot of interest in this topic. You guys be safe out there.

Along with that, increasing your following distance (in this particular situation) also gives the driver behind you more time to react or recover from some distraction.

I'm now kicking myself for leaving this one off of my list. In a place like Deals Gap the courteous thing is to pull over and let tailgaters by if you're the hold-up. But if you're just part of a line of traffic on the highway, your best bet is indeed to give yourself a big cushion of space in front of you: that way when you get on the brakes, you can decel relatively gently so the nitwit behind you isn't caught by surprise when the gap in front of him starts closing.